Letter: Well done, Morganton

To borrow a phrase, “Wow, you’ve got to see this place” totally describes our foothills neighbor, the town of Morganton. Recently I had the pleasure of driving all around Burke County and seeing such economic progress and a well-maintained “gem of a town.” All the entrances and downtown areas were beautifully adorned with brightly colored flowers, hanging baskets, thriving plants and trees. There were many unique little shops and restaurants dotting the streets, enticing shoppers of all types. A very fine, comfortable movie theater draws nightly crowds of show-seekers keeping the downtown alive. Some of the old shopping centers like Rose’s and older fast food chains had either been refurbished, torn down or replaced by newly modern-designed ones. Most impressive was the large, new shopping center under construction that will house a new Walmart, Belk, T.J. Maxx, Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft, Dick’s Sporting Goods, and Ross, to mention a few. There were at least two very fine supermarkets, Ingles and Bi-Lo, with magnificent bakeries, salad and food bars, flower shops and even a Starbucks in one. Old furniture plants had been demolished and replaced with nice, new condos and much-needed apartment homes. I compliment all those people who have worked hard to make Morganton such a pleasure to visit and source of pride for those who live there. It’s quite obvious someone there had a vision for their town and saw it through to a beautiful completion.